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Switzerland To Open Restricted Josef Mengele File After Years of Refusals
The dossier will be opened under defined conditions after a reassessment, following years of refusals and a broader review of access policy.
- Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service agreed on Monday to open previously restricted archival files on Josef Mengele, the Auschwitz doctor dubbed the "Angel of Death," following a recent reassessment.
- Until now, the FIS had rejected requests to consult the file, citing source protection and the privacy interests of Mengele's descendants, most recently refusing access in February 2026.
- Historian Wettstein challenged the refusal in court, seeking to clarify whether the Nazi war criminal visited Kloten, Switzerland, in March 1961 and how he escaped Swiss authorities.
- Authorities described the policy shift as a "new situation," promising to define access procedures for the dossier while initiating a broader review of their policy on classified archival material.
- Previously assessed by the Bergier Commission, the documents may shed light on Switzerland's ties to Nazi Germany after the Second World War as researchers await finalized access terms.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
Historian Sacha Zala criticizes the "routine censorship" of the Federation.
·Zürich, Switzerland
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What does the file on Nazi doctor and war criminal Josef Mengele in the Swiss Federal Archives contain? For years, historians fought unsuccessfully to gain access. Now, there has been a change of heart. By Marie-Christine Werner.
·Hamburg, Germany
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The German government is releasing documents about Nazi henchman Josef Mengele that it had mistakenly sealed. The government already released these documents once before, 25 years ago. A farce from Seldwyla.
·Zürich, Switzerland
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Total News Sources12
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 17%
R 33%
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